Road Trip Tips

I know a lot of us are taking vacations during the summer months.  We have a short road trip coming up this summer and even though it is short, I still like to have things to keep my kids busy.

Car Games
Sure you can play the classic punch buggy and I Spy, but my oldest and I like to play find the letter-going through the alphabet and find the letter in signs and license plates and something we call Rainbow Cars ROY G BIV finding each color car of the rainbow in order.

Drawing Supplies
My oldest loves to draw and he can very happily be occupied with a drawing pad and a pen or pencil.  If you have a younger child a coloring book and crayons works good too.

Surprise gifts
Go to the dollar store and get a few surprise $1 items for each child.  Wrap each one individually and every time your child needs a fun boost allow them to open one of the gifts.  It can help keep your kiddo occupied and help you keep your sanity.

Great Kid Friendly Fun Tunes
Make sure you have either some cds that your kids enjoy or an kid friendly option like Pandora.  We listen to the Disney channel, veggie tales, and occasionally spongebob.

For Longer Trips
I am not a huge fan of too much electronics but on a really long trip a little time on the iPad watching a movie helps pass the time.  I unfortunately have motion sickness so this never works for me.

Try to plan some of your trip when the kids are sleeping it makes for an easier drive.  My kids have always slept really great in the car seat and get wonderful naps in the car.

Take stretch breaks
Even if you brought your own lunch try to find somewhere a local park or nice grassy area to have an outdoor picnic and let the kids run off some energy.